The Sheikh I Never Thought I'd Write, Annie West

This is a red letter day for me for a couple of reasons. First up it's officially release day for my DESERT KING'S CAPTIVE BRIDE. So, it's been in stores for a little while, but as of today it's available in ebook format too, so it's available just about everywhere. Reason enough to celebrate surely?

But there's more! CAPTIVE BRIDE is my tenth sheikh novel. I can hardly believe it. Somehow, in amongst all the other books I've been writing, I've managed to clock up half a score of sheikhs. That's enough to make any romance author smile. I have to say I've enjoyed every one of them. It's not that I set out, deliberately, to write lots of desert princes, just that every so often a story would come along that just had to be a sheikh story. Always there's an alpha hero and always he's a man with a very, very strong sense of honor. I think that's one of the ingredients that makes me keep coming back again and again to these stories - as well as being sexy, these heroes are strong in a good way, with a sense of duty and, yes, protectiveness.

Having said that, they do, sometimes behave in ways they later regret. Along the way there have been a few unexpected nights of passion that led to pregnancy. There's been a hero torn between duty and his love for the woman destined to marry his best friend. My desert princes aren't perfect but their hearts are in the right place.

Which brings me to Huseyn, the hero in THE DESERT KING'S CAPTIVE BRIDE. He's a warrior through and through. He's lived all his life in a man's tough world, with other soldiers. The closest he gets to having a soft side is his ability as a horse whisperer, taming wild horses. He's determined to save his country from war, no matter what it takes. And what he believes it will take is for him to become sheikh, by marrying the old sheikh's daughter,..whether she wants it or not.

“I was blackmailed into this marriage. I will not be blackmailed into bed.”  

Princess Ghizlan of Jeirut has returned home to find that warrior Sheikh Huseyn al Rasheed has seized her late father’s kingdom. With her sister held hostage, Ghizlan has no choice. Her barbarian captor is determined to tame her, rule her—and make her his own!

Forcing Ghizlan’s hand in marriage will not be enough to conquer her body and soul: Huseyn’s iron will is challenged at every step by her magnificent beauty and fierce pride. It won’t be long before they both fall prey to the firestorm between them…

Huseyn is a hero I didn't think I'd ever write - a man who forces a woman into marriage. And who falls in love when he least expects it. This is a fiery, emotional story about a man and a woman, both out of their comfort zones, both trying to do the right thing, and both fighting an elemental attraction unlike anything they've ever experienced. It's one of my favorites too.

Whether you're a fan of sheikh stories, or whether you just enjoy a fun, emotionally intense read, this could be one for you. You can read an excerpt on my website or buy CAPTIVE BRIDE at all the usual places including
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Harlequin
iBooks

This book is a sequel, a follow up to THE DESERT KING'S SECRET HEIR. Some of the characters in that first book appear in this one too, but, for those of you who didn't read SECRET HEIR, the good news is that each is a stand alone story. You don't have to read the first before you read the second.

Do you enjoy linked books or do you prefer stories that are completely stand alone?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, especially as I'm in the process of writing a series of loosely linked Hot Italian Nights enovellas.